This deliciously simple rhubarb recipe is from Diane Roupe's new book Blue Ribbon Country Canning. Diane is a preserving legend, having won numerous blue and red ribbons and the Iowa State Fair - the real deal in American canning country!

Last year, I was lucky enough to shoot all the photographs for Diane's book. Working on Blue Ribbon Country Canning was an amazing creative endeavor, and so different from my own book project - I loved the challenge of honoring another author's vision through photography. After 12 months, it feels fantastic to finally touch the pages and see all the work that went into the book become a reality.

When shooting Diane's book, I fell in love with her rhubarb and knew I had to share this recipe with all of you. Diane's rhubarb maintains a wonderful tart bite while being just sweetened enough by a bit of sugar. Imagine nestling little bits of puckery ruby-hued rhubarb onto a bowl of vanilla ice cream... yum!

Trim ends from rhubarb and slice
stalks into 2 inch x 1/4 inch batons. Place cut rhubarb in a large
stainless stockpot or dutch oven. Toss rhubarb with sugar. Cover and let
rhubarb macerate for 4 hours to release its liquid. ( I occasionally
stirred the rhubarb during this maceration phase.)

After 4 hours, place pot holding the rhubarb (and all of its released liquid) onto the stove top. Turn the flame to medium-high. Stir regularly while bringing the pot to a boil. Once boiling, count to 10 and remove the pan from the heat. (If you cook the rhubarb any longer, the fibers really break down and the consistency gets soft and mushy like stewed rhubarb. The flavor and texture are still delish, just not as firm as Diane's intention.)

Using a slotting spoon, immediately place rhubarb into jars and pour liquid over the top. Seal jars. For more information on this important phase of canning, please consult Diane's book, or your favorite canning guide. Keep in mind: you can also make this recipe and store the rhubarb in clean lidded containers in the fridge. Unsealed rhubarb should be eaten within 2 weeks.

51 comments:

Also, rhubarb. One of my favorites, although I have to wait a while longer for it up here. It was recently my boyfriend's birthday, and he loves rhubarb dessert, but I sadly couldn't find any fresh stalks at the store for the cake I made him. Lucky for both of us, they were selling some in the frozen fruit section, in zip-loc bags (is that even legal?).... oh yum.

My favorite summer treat is rhubarb slush, made with some jello powder and a can of Squirt or lemonade. Mmm, I can't wait.

Emma, thanks! I am cracking up at the image of random ziplock baggies filled with rhubarb at your local grocery. I am digging that homegrown vibe.Your rhubarb slush sounds damn tasty too. I'm a sucker for rhubarb any which way.xoxoE

Me too. I love rhubarb - there's nothing else like that tart flavor. Plus the pink is pretty too;)Blue Ribbon Country Canning is quite an amazing resource on preserving thanks to Diane's extensive knowledge. I'm just starting to do more canning myself and it's really fun and surprisingly easy. I love how there's always more to learn about cooking!xoxoE

I'm obsessed with all of these rhubarb recipes floating around in the blogosphere. I've got to grab some before the season is over...especially now that I've got this recipe for any leftovers. And thanks so much for stopping by to comment on my blog, Erin! It means a lot for a newbie like me ;) Cheers!

XO from another rhubarb fan. I have a big jar of rhubarb-strawberry compote in my fridge (likewise made quite tart) but the next bundle I bring home will go into this recipe. I love that she's maintained the texture and wondering why I never thought of that! Goes without saying your images are exceptionally alluring. Happy Spring! Jennie

What a gorgeous post, I love ALL these photos and the rhubarb looks delicious. I love preserves, right now I'm patiently waiting for lemons to preserve. I started the process few days ago, I can't wait for those. Hugs to you!

Oh how I have wanted to preserve lemons for such a long time and how you share rhubarb - that is simply brilliant! I actually have some in the fridge. Hummmm - might be an activity for this weekend. Your photos are simply mouthwatering. I am excited to see your upcoming book and I can only imagine how excited you are to show off all of your hard work. Hope you are having a brilliant Saturday, the weather looks great today!

Lisa! I really am so excited about the book Lisa... thank you for being so sweet and supportive:) I turn the manuscript in next Month and then we enter the next phase... editing, design, etc. I'm looking forward to it all.

I hope you are having a beautiful weekend. The weather couldn't be better, could it?

What a great recipe! I love rhubarb. So far I've mostly limited myself to pies and tarts, but I think it's time to take it to the next level and serve it straight-up on ice cream. Sounds like a wonderful way to welcome summer!

Isn't rhubarb pie the best!!!Only in the past few years have I branched out with rhubarb crisps, compotes, cocktails. There is so much fun stuff to do with rhubarb. But then again, you can't go wrong with pie.xoE